Chelsea centre-back Levi Colwill has stressed his love for loan club Brighton ahead of what could be a pivotal summer for the 20-year-old.
Colwill has enjoyed a sensational campaign on loan with Brighton, earning a reputation as one of Europe's premier young defenders and attracting interest from the likes of Liverpool and Manchester City.
Brighton's deal with Chelsea does not include an option to buy Colwill but the Seagulls were known to be keen to keep the defender even before manager Roberto De Zerbi began a public charm offensive earlier this month.
However, 90min understands that Chelsea have long made it clear to Colwill that they want him back in the squad for next season - a stance which has been strengthened by the recent injury to fellow centre-back Benoit Badiashile.
Asked what the future holds for him, Colwill kept the focus on his appreciation for Brighton and admitted he would have to consider his strong bond with the Seagulls when deciding his next move.
"Brighton have done a lot for me," he told The Athletic. "They put their trust in me when others didn’t and I’m a person that loves to repay that. We’ll see.
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"I don’t know what is going to happen [at Chelsea]. I’m still here until the end of the season. I just focus on that, then I’ve got the Euros [the Under-21 European Championship] in the summer.
"After that, we’ll see what happens and go from there."
He continued: "[The Brighton loan] has been amazing - every part, on the pitch, off the pitch. I’ve learnt so many things. I’ve grown, not just only as a player, but as a man too, and I think it’s due to the manager and the players. I’ve just loved every minute of it.
"I’m not someone to predict the future. I take it day by day, but it’s been an amazing journey."
Brighton are known to be interested in keeping Colwill and would even accept another loan deal for the defender, and although Chelsea are not interested in such an offer at this point, Colwill himself refused to rule it out.
"Who knows, we’ll see what happens in the summer," he added. "I love the Brighton fans, I love everything about them [the club]. I’ll take that into consideration."
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This article was originally published on 90min as Levi Colwill reflects on Brighton future & uncertain Chelsea return.
